For those that pre-ordered it or planning to pick it up in the future; no it's not useless. All comes down to the buyer and their budget.
Also all these talks with needing to sit up close to see the details, that's always been a thing. When switching from 1080p TV to 4K TV the viewing distance reduced and you would have to sit closer to see all the 4K details in movies and shows. I'm sure the majority of console players are playing on a TV, but there are a large number of people (and growing) that are playing at their desk on a monitor sitting 2 feet away so they'll definitely see the upgraded details.
Seems like the issue with this is more about where a person sits than the console itself. The console doesn't decided where you put your TV and where you sit.